It appears to be all but official: David Lee Roth, who never should have been on radio, is off. And Opie & Anthony are back on the air after being kicked off in another desperate move by CBS Radio.
This entry was posted on Thursday, April 20th, 2006 at 9:21 am and was tagged Howard_Stern.
Let me be the first to say congratulations to Opie & Anthony – a show that should have NEVER been thrown off the air is back on terrestrial radio. I’m curious to see the arrangement between XM and Free FM.
Ah, poor Howard. I can hear him bitching now about the “clones” replacing him. Hahahaha!
It’s desperate in that CBS is hiring one group of performers with the explicit permission to promote satellite radio on its own free airwaves, while CBS sues its previous performer for doing exactly the same thing.
FCC approved, sanitized, censored, syndicated from satelite? Oh, but you can get a shorter uncensored version on XM – possibly a day later?
Desperation seems to be least of the problems here. How does XM benefit or for that matter justify charging people for this? How can this be anything but an emergency broadcast tone impersonation on CBS.
What was most interesting is the fact that this morning Howard Stern didn’t seem to view it as an act of war. There is bad blood there — and that must have been a factor in Joel Hollander’s decision, which aids XM satellite, Stern’s competitor — but Stern downplayed it entirely. Gary Dell’ abate seemed more upset by this than Howard.
I’ve been listening to Penn Jillette (as in Penn and Teller) via Podcast. Not sure what network they are broadcasting on, but they product out of Las Vegas. As I listen, I can’t help but thinking he could be a good successor of Howard.
Apparently CBS will get the PG 13-rate Opie & Anthony from 6 to 9 a.m. EDT, while XM also gets two hours of uncensored show from 9 to 11 a.m. Since XM currently runs the show from 7 to 11, it will be interesting to see how the first hour works — does the show go to five hours a day on XM, or will they just join the thing in progress after the first hour of the show on 92.3 (which would be just asking for trouble from the XM listeners). At the other end of the show, that’s where XM will benefit, if some bit is going good at 8:55 a.m. and the terrestrial stations drop out, leaving only the satellite radio listeners still around for the finish.
If it works, it’s actually a tempate for Stern to regain his lost audience and for Sirius to get some of that $500m investment back, if he and they are willing to do a similar deal with another of the big radio owners (though I’d be really shocked if Howard and Clear Channel ever got together).
Clearly XM didn’t get enough of the vaunted “O&A Army” to make their hiring profitable, so they have to turn around and pimp them out to free radio in the same markets where you have to pay to hear them on XM. If I bought an XM radio to hear O&A (both of you, you know who you are), I would feel cheated.
Howard could care less. This deal with CBS and XM just shows how much impact Stern actually has. O&A have done next to zero for XM’s subscriptions or they’d have NOTHING to do with “free FM”.
To say otherwise just shows that you know nothing about Stern and what’s currently going on in radio.
XM is screwing themselves hooking up with these crooks. I’ll give O&A maybe a year at best….AND I can PROMISE that if Stern decided to hire DLR, Roth would have more listeners than CBS in the same time slot. NO PROBLEM.
You O&A bashers are so funny! The ratings will speak for themselves – if Howard did this, you’d be calling him the messiah. Spin anyway you can – Howard cares a whole lot. Of course he’ll downplay it – he HATES them!
DC has the same problem as CBS, XM. Nothing to back up his nonsense. When has Howard ever been wrong? When has Howard ever been threatened by ANYONE’S ratings?
Never. As a 12year listener AND a O&A listener FROM THE BEGINING (boston NOT NY) I can say that you are basically just typing to see your post get on the site. Zero grounds to support your banter. CBS WILL be hailed as Hypocrites for fireing and rehiring the same people. O&A will be in the middle. The show will be all over the place. It’ll never work.
They should have just let Roth do his thing. Anyone with a clue knows it takes more than 3 months to get ANY ratings. Even Stern wasn’t #1 when his show went from nights in boston to mornings. Took about 4 months.
O&A ratings??? That’s funny when they edit the hell out of the show.
CBS didnt give DLR a chance, and then fired him as if it was his fault that he couldnt follow the King of All Media.
CBS couldn’t find someone to replace Howard after 14 months of knowing Howard was leaving, and now they have no clue how to get their numbers up so they’re doing the dumbest thing ever – paying for the worst Howard clones who have done the most vile thing in radio ever. Not to mention paying for two idiots who couldnt get people to sign up for XM.
Meanwhile XM is whoring out their morning men, which will only show people how crappy their morning team is.
All of this only makes Howard look better. He leaves testicle radio and his replacements sink to the literal bottom. He charges people $13 a month and not just gets a million people to sign up, but 2-3 million. Now he’s got CBS on their knees for two idiots from satelite to water down their crap in hopes that it can compete with the other watered down crap on “free” radio.
What this is bound to do is drive people to Sirius because it’s making people realize how horrible, uncreative, visionless, and talentless old fashioned radio is.
ABC News Interview Program
Son of the Beach
The Howard Stern Radio Show (Against SNL)
Fartman
Doomesday
Howard Stern the High School Years
Porky’s
Rock and Roll High School
OnDemand
I can’t say that David Lee Roth was wrong for the job. It’s more that he tried to fill a role that was wrong for him. I remember the Roth van Halen. The adventurous, playful van Halen. I remember how the band changed when he was forced out, how bitter and cynical the remaining members became.
Dave’s failing as a morning host was that he tried being what he is not. He tried being cynical, he tried being manipulative and abusive. Dave is none of those things. David Lee Roth is playful. He loves music and takes joy in many genres and styles. In the traditional morning show format he never had the chance to share his passion. He never got to be the one thing that could have attracted an audience, David Lee Roth.
It’s just not in him to be a Howard Stern or an Opie & Anthony. That’s not what he does best. And I say the world of broadcast radio could use more like David Lee Roth.
ABC News Interview Program
Son of the Beach
The Howard Stern Radio Show (Against SNL)
Fartman
Doomesday
Howard Stern the High School Years
Porky’s
Rock and Roll High School
OnDemand ”
You are clueless. Thank you for proving this to the world.
The embarrassment of this scenario will leave a bad taste in the mouth of those of us who were listeners of the so-called free formatted CBS’ “FreeFM”.
Interestingly enough, the “Free” thinking theme for DLR was emphasized by Hollander when the contract was signed, but Dave was never allowed to execute.
CBS wanted ROTH to strictly target a specific demographic…..the “35 year old Male” who listens to Lynard Skynard ?
Apparently CBS did their homework to know that their advertisers wanted to target this demographics…..my question then is WHY did you offer the gig to DLR and not to O&A to begin with ?
Dave allowed “Too much ethnicity in the show and women are not in the demographics” …I hope CBS is willing to back this up, because it would be hypocritical if they don’t.
These four months for David Lee Roth AND his listeners (like myself) have been anything but free. It’s been more like being held hostage and told what you can and cannot say, think or feel and I’m not talking about anything where the FCC would have gotten themselves involved. This is about the so-called FREE FORMAT.
Mr. Hollander, you flat out lied to Dave – you used the old bait tactic, hyped up this gig and then you backfired on him. You didn’t even hire a Program Director to coordinate his show in the beginning to give it structure or line up guests….how did you expect this show to succeed without supplying the proper tools?
CBS is basically sinking their own ship….O & A may not be able to save it with their dingy.
Hollander did an interview with RadioLink.com back in July 2005 and clearly states that the ship was sinking for Infinity Broadcasting before CBS took over and prior to Stern’s departure.
DAVE….you are the FREEBIRD….at last. You will continue to soar in your endeavors.
History speaks volumes – Opie & Anthony had monster ratings in several of the markets in which they were syndicated. I LOVE when people say that Howard is never wrong – it’s a joke. Howard Stern was a GREAT radio guy back in the day – he’s past his prime and living in the past. Howard’s never been threatened by anyone’s ratings – right. He never cared, why would he gag other jocks? Why would he dump out of jocks names said on Sirius? Why would he have names removed from his website? Drink the Kool aid some more.
Listen, I loved Stern for years. He was the KING, but listening to O&A, one has to realize that they are incredibly clever and talented radio guys. They’ve had tasteless segments – I hate that stuff – but when they’re on, they’re on. I’m just pleased to see them being recognized for their talent. They are radio superstars.
Did CBS yank DLR prematurely? Maybe. But O&A can have a 100% non-naughty show and still be hysterical. I know it burns some of you – but it’s true. Give them a chance. You’ll be surprised.
Oh and for all you talking about boycotts, Bill Donahue of the Catholic league was on air with them a few months ago. He made his peace – why don’t you?
“Wah! Howard made it so we can’t say his name! Wah!” Tough luck. They only wish they were as powerful and important to Infinity/CBS as Howard was. For a majority of his career at Infinity/CBS Howard had a clause in his contract that said he couldn’t mention Mel Karmazan by name, yet he never complained about it.
The only smart move that O&A has done is to surround themselves with actually talented and funny people like Jim Norton, etc…
Great move for O&A, and an excellent move by XM. XM basically gets a 4 hour commercial for their product every day.
O&A have no where to go but up. Roth left the ratings in shambles. O&A will improve ratings in all markets, especially NYC, Boston and Philly where they were successful afternoon drive jocks in the past. Unless they blow it again (which isn’t out of the realm of possibility), they will look like saviors, bringing ratings back to CBS radio in the morning.
Also, Jeff, as a big advocate of the 1st amendment, how can you still stand behind Howie when he has gone on the record saying he had Mel Karmazin give O&A a gag order and told them not to mention anything about Stern when they were both working at Infinity? I thought Howie took on all comers?? Yeah, only those that couldn’t fight back.
Bringing Opie and Anthony back to the controlled world of “free” radio may seem like a slap in the face to the moralists and corporate entities that exiled them in the first place, but I seriously doubt they will relish that bit of revenge for long.
First of all, the radio world isn’t the same as when O&A were runing wild. The moralists and their puppets in the Federalist Christian Censors have successfully destroyed any kind of edgy creativity in “free” radio. O&A wouldn’t be able to get away with their “WOW” campaign, which is what they are best known for, never mind the kind of stunt that got them kicked off the air. I seriously doubt they will enjoy the kind of restrictions that will be imposed on them just for the “privilege” of being on “free” radio.
Case in point: Atlanta’s own Regular Guys were the victims of a similar moralist purge, although it was for a technical mistake that they had nothing at all to do with. They had to be in exile for a while, but when they were allowed to come back, they just weren’t the same. The fun was gone, the campiness was gone, the party attitide was gone. It’s like they were replaced by two different people.
Going from the kind of anything-goes creativity that these broadcasters have always wanted to a repressive, stale, Neo-Orwellian environment is not something that anyone would want. It’s like being forced to run a marathon with two broken legs and then be expected to come in first every time.l
Plus moralists don’t like having their authority questioned. They demanded that O&A be forever banished, and if O&A are allowed to come back, then they will do whatever it takes to return them to broadcasting exile. I don’t put anything past these people to get what they want.
how can you judge DLR performace on a mere 4 months in limited markets? it takes time to develop a gig and build an audiance. i never listened to stern or opie and could have cared less about am talk radio UNTIL i heard DLR was gonna be a host and then i found a way to listen to him.
i can’t say any other AM radio host ever made me do that before.
i’d rather listen to archived DLR podcasts than O&A anyday.
Let me be the first to say congratulations to Opie & Anthony – a show that should have NEVER been thrown off the air is back on terrestrial radio. I’m curious to see the arrangement between XM and Free FM.
Ah, poor Howard. I can hear him bitching now about the “clones” replacing him. Hahahaha!
O&A always win in the end!
How is hiring Opie & Anthony a desperate move? They have a long history of succesful ratings.
It’s desperate in that CBS is hiring one group of performers with the explicit permission to promote satellite radio on its own free airwaves, while CBS sues its previous performer for doing exactly the same thing.
FCC approved, sanitized, censored, syndicated from satelite? Oh, but you can get a shorter uncensored version on XM – possibly a day later?
Desperation seems to be least of the problems here. How does XM benefit or for that matter justify charging people for this? How can this be anything but an emergency broadcast tone impersonation on CBS.
>>> How does XM benefit
- It provides excellent sampling opportunities of O&A for those not yet convinced to make the leap to satellite.
- It gives XM promotional opportunities via O&A’s mentions of XM on their show.
- XM gets cash. XM is acting as a content provider.
Congratulations O&A.
What a colossal step…backwards.
What was most interesting is the fact that this morning Howard Stern didn’t seem to view it as an act of war. There is bad blood there — and that must have been a factor in Joel Hollander’s decision, which aids XM satellite, Stern’s competitor — but Stern downplayed it entirely. Gary Dell’ abate seemed more upset by this than Howard.
I’ve been listening to Penn Jillette (as in Penn and Teller) via Podcast. Not sure what network they are broadcasting on, but they product out of Las Vegas. As I listen, I can’t help but thinking he could be a good successor of Howard.
Apparently CBS will get the PG 13-rate Opie & Anthony from 6 to 9 a.m. EDT, while XM also gets two hours of uncensored show from 9 to 11 a.m. Since XM currently runs the show from 7 to 11, it will be interesting to see how the first hour works — does the show go to five hours a day on XM, or will they just join the thing in progress after the first hour of the show on 92.3 (which would be just asking for trouble from the XM listeners). At the other end of the show, that’s where XM will benefit, if some bit is going good at 8:55 a.m. and the terrestrial stations drop out, leaving only the satellite radio listeners still around for the finish.
If it works, it’s actually a tempate for Stern to regain his lost audience and for Sirius to get some of that $500m investment back, if he and they are willing to do a similar deal with another of the big radio owners (though I’d be really shocked if Howard and Clear Channel ever got together).
I actually think O&A would agree with Jeff about CBS… and the boys are loving it.
Clearly XM didn’t get enough of the vaunted “O&A Army” to make their hiring profitable, so they have to turn around and pimp them out to free radio in the same markets where you have to pay to hear them on XM. If I bought an XM radio to hear O&A (both of you, you know who you are), I would feel cheated.
Howard could care less. This deal with CBS and XM just shows how much impact Stern actually has. O&A have done next to zero for XM’s subscriptions or they’d have NOTHING to do with “free FM”.
To say otherwise just shows that you know nothing about Stern and what’s currently going on in radio.
XM is screwing themselves hooking up with these crooks. I’ll give O&A maybe a year at best….AND I can PROMISE that if Stern decided to hire DLR, Roth would have more listeners than CBS in the same time slot. NO PROBLEM.
LOL!
You O&A bashers are so funny! The ratings will speak for themselves – if Howard did this, you’d be calling him the messiah. Spin anyway you can – Howard cares a whole lot. Of course he’ll downplay it – he HATES them!
http://www.doublewidz.com/ssfileupload/store/gagorder.mp3
DC has the same problem as CBS, XM. Nothing to back up his nonsense. When has Howard ever been wrong? When has Howard ever been threatened by ANYONE’S ratings?
Never. As a 12year listener AND a O&A listener FROM THE BEGINING (boston NOT NY) I can say that you are basically just typing to see your post get on the site. Zero grounds to support your banter. CBS WILL be hailed as Hypocrites for fireing and rehiring the same people. O&A will be in the middle. The show will be all over the place. It’ll never work.
They should have just let Roth do his thing. Anyone with a clue knows it takes more than 3 months to get ANY ratings. Even Stern wasn’t #1 when his show went from nights in boston to mornings. Took about 4 months.
O&A ratings??? That’s funny when they edit the hell out of the show.
CBS didnt give DLR a chance, and then fired him as if it was his fault that he couldnt follow the King of All Media.
CBS couldn’t find someone to replace Howard after 14 months of knowing Howard was leaving, and now they have no clue how to get their numbers up so they’re doing the dumbest thing ever – paying for the worst Howard clones who have done the most vile thing in radio ever. Not to mention paying for two idiots who couldnt get people to sign up for XM.
Meanwhile XM is whoring out their morning men, which will only show people how crappy their morning team is.
All of this only makes Howard look better. He leaves testicle radio and his replacements sink to the literal bottom. He charges people $13 a month and not just gets a million people to sign up, but 2-3 million. Now he’s got CBS on their knees for two idiots from satelite to water down their crap in hopes that it can compete with the other watered down crap on “free” radio.
What this is bound to do is drive people to Sirius because it’s making people realize how horrible, uncreative, visionless, and talentless old fashioned radio is.
I give O&A six months.
>>> When has Howard ever been wrong?
ABC News Interview Program
Son of the Beach
The Howard Stern Radio Show (Against SNL)
Fartman
Doomesday
Howard Stern the High School Years
Porky’s
Rock and Roll High School
OnDemand
I can’t say that David Lee Roth was wrong for the job. It’s more that he tried to fill a role that was wrong for him. I remember the Roth van Halen. The adventurous, playful van Halen. I remember how the band changed when he was forced out, how bitter and cynical the remaining members became.
Dave’s failing as a morning host was that he tried being what he is not. He tried being cynical, he tried being manipulative and abusive. Dave is none of those things. David Lee Roth is playful. He loves music and takes joy in many genres and styles. In the traditional morning show format he never had the chance to share his passion. He never got to be the one thing that could have attracted an audience, David Lee Roth.
It’s just not in him to be a Howard Stern or an Opie & Anthony. That’s not what he does best. And I say the world of broadcast radio could use more like David Lee Roth.
“>>> When has Howard ever been wrong?
ABC News Interview Program
Son of the Beach
The Howard Stern Radio Show (Against SNL)
Fartman
Doomesday
Howard Stern the High School Years
Porky’s
Rock and Roll High School
OnDemand ”
You are clueless. Thank you for proving this to the world.
Tony wrote: “paying for the worst Howard clones who have done the most vile thing in radio ever”
The Catholic League forgives them for this vile thing…
http://www.catholicleague.org/06press_releases/quarter%202/060420_O&A_CBS.htm
… can’t you?
Rob:
Not only would Penn be good, he’d love to do it – if he could juggle it with his Vegas show 6 out of 7 nights.
The embarrassment of this scenario will leave a bad taste in the mouth of those of us who were listeners of the so-called free formatted CBS’ “FreeFM”.
Interestingly enough, the “Free” thinking theme for DLR was emphasized by Hollander when the contract was signed, but Dave was never allowed to execute.
CBS wanted ROTH to strictly target a specific demographic…..the “35 year old Male” who listens to Lynard Skynard ?
Apparently CBS did their homework to know that their advertisers wanted to target this demographics…..my question then is WHY did you offer the gig to DLR and not to O&A to begin with ?
Dave allowed “Too much ethnicity in the show and women are not in the demographics” …I hope CBS is willing to back this up, because it would be hypocritical if they don’t.
These four months for David Lee Roth AND his listeners (like myself) have been anything but free. It’s been more like being held hostage and told what you can and cannot say, think or feel and I’m not talking about anything where the FCC would have gotten themselves involved. This is about the so-called FREE FORMAT.
Mr. Hollander, you flat out lied to Dave – you used the old bait tactic, hyped up this gig and then you backfired on him. You didn’t even hire a Program Director to coordinate his show in the beginning to give it structure or line up guests….how did you expect this show to succeed without supplying the proper tools?
CBS is basically sinking their own ship….O & A may not be able to save it with their dingy.
Hollander did an interview with RadioLink.com back in July 2005 and clearly states that the ship was sinking for Infinity Broadcasting before CBS took over and prior to Stern’s departure.
DAVE….you are the FREEBIRD….at last. You will continue to soar in your endeavors.
http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:fixg5yi4_CEJ:www.radioink.com/listingsEntry.asp%3FID%3D370216%26PT%3Dindustryqa+joel+hollander&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2
“I give O&A six months.”
I just marked my calendar.
O&A’s stunt with a couple having sex in St. Patrick’s Cathedral was despicable. I’m not Catholic and I took great offense.
Hi Joe,
History speaks volumes – Opie & Anthony had monster ratings in several of the markets in which they were syndicated. I LOVE when people say that Howard is never wrong – it’s a joke. Howard Stern was a GREAT radio guy back in the day – he’s past his prime and living in the past. Howard’s never been threatened by anyone’s ratings – right. He never cared, why would he gag other jocks? Why would he dump out of jocks names said on Sirius? Why would he have names removed from his website? Drink the Kool aid some more.
Listen, I loved Stern for years. He was the KING, but listening to O&A, one has to realize that they are incredibly clever and talented radio guys. They’ve had tasteless segments – I hate that stuff – but when they’re on, they’re on. I’m just pleased to see them being recognized for their talent. They are radio superstars.
Did CBS yank DLR prematurely? Maybe. But O&A can have a 100% non-naughty show and still be hysterical. I know it burns some of you – but it’s true. Give them a chance. You’ll be surprised.
Oh and for all you talking about boycotts, Bill Donahue of the Catholic league was on air with them a few months ago. He made his peace – why don’t you?
dont even get me started about the Catholic church, Cardinal Law, the nazi pope, etc.
good for the Catholic League, but that doesn’t mean that O&A’s lack of actual humor didnt lead to easilly the most disgusting act ever on radio.
i will forgive them when they become funny.
Well, they crack me up. But what do I know?
“Wah! Howard made it so we can’t say his name! Wah!” Tough luck. They only wish they were as powerful and important to Infinity/CBS as Howard was. For a majority of his career at Infinity/CBS Howard had a clause in his contract that said he couldn’t mention Mel Karmazan by name, yet he never complained about it.
The only smart move that O&A has done is to surround themselves with actually talented and funny people like Jim Norton, etc…
Great move for O&A, and an excellent move by XM. XM basically gets a 4 hour commercial for their product every day.
O&A have no where to go but up. Roth left the ratings in shambles. O&A will improve ratings in all markets, especially NYC, Boston and Philly where they were successful afternoon drive jocks in the past. Unless they blow it again (which isn’t out of the realm of possibility), they will look like saviors, bringing ratings back to CBS radio in the morning.
Also, Jeff, as a big advocate of the 1st amendment, how can you still stand behind Howie when he has gone on the record saying he had Mel Karmazin give O&A a gag order and told them not to mention anything about Stern when they were both working at Infinity? I thought Howie took on all comers?? Yeah, only those that couldn’t fight back.
Bringing Opie and Anthony back to the controlled world of “free” radio may seem like a slap in the face to the moralists and corporate entities that exiled them in the first place, but I seriously doubt they will relish that bit of revenge for long.
First of all, the radio world isn’t the same as when O&A were runing wild. The moralists and their puppets in the Federalist Christian Censors have successfully destroyed any kind of edgy creativity in “free” radio. O&A wouldn’t be able to get away with their “WOW” campaign, which is what they are best known for, never mind the kind of stunt that got them kicked off the air. I seriously doubt they will enjoy the kind of restrictions that will be imposed on them just for the “privilege” of being on “free” radio.
Case in point: Atlanta’s own Regular Guys were the victims of a similar moralist purge, although it was for a technical mistake that they had nothing at all to do with. They had to be in exile for a while, but when they were allowed to come back, they just weren’t the same. The fun was gone, the campiness was gone, the party attitide was gone. It’s like they were replaced by two different people.
Going from the kind of anything-goes creativity that these broadcasters have always wanted to a repressive, stale, Neo-Orwellian environment is not something that anyone would want. It’s like being forced to run a marathon with two broken legs and then be expected to come in first every time.l
Plus moralists don’t like having their authority questioned. They demanded that O&A be forever banished, and if O&A are allowed to come back, then they will do whatever it takes to return them to broadcasting exile. I don’t put anything past these people to get what they want.
how can you judge DLR performace on a mere 4 months in limited markets? it takes time to develop a gig and build an audiance. i never listened to stern or opie and could have cared less about am talk radio UNTIL i heard DLR was gonna be a host and then i found a way to listen to him.
i can’t say any other AM radio host ever made me do that before.
i’d rather listen to archived DLR podcasts than O&A anyday.
Wrong, you are right. DLR podcasts beat OandA.
CBS didn’t give DLR a chance to build his own audience. Wanted to immediately retain the MEATHEAD demographic that was Stern’s audience.
It has been about a year and the ratings for O&A are still in the toilet. Is this what is called winning in the end?